If you take your lunch, what do you put in it?

My bento box! - This is my bento box. The image is from Hayao Miyazaki's "My Neighbor Totoro." An online friend of mine gave this to me a couple of years back.
By Leca
@lecanis (16647)
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
February 7, 2010 2:41pm CST
I regularly take my lunch to work with me, because I can't really afford to eat out every day. Sometimes it's leftovers of whatever we had for dinner last night, but other times I get creative and make something nice especially for lunch. I almost always have rice, and most of the time I have boiled eggs (usually shaped into cute little bear and bunny shapes, because I refuse to grow up!) I always have to have some kind of vegetable, and my favorites are broccoli and carrots. When I'm feeling really ambitious, I'll add cucumber sandwiches (one of my favorites!) or bbq pork, or even a bit of teriyaki beef. I bring my lunch in a bento box, most of the time.
4 people like this
19 responses
@Tallygirl09 (1380)
• United States
7 Feb 10
Wow!! Will you make my lunch too? Yours sound very healthy and tasty! Like you I rarely go out to eat lunch. Far healthier and less expensive to bring my own. I love salad and I never get bored with it. I do like you do and make it different every day. One day I'll have my basic lettuce, tomatoe and onions.The next I'll add baby carrots and leeks. The next mushrooms and turkey. I just have a base salad that I add to according to what I have in the house. And I lost about 10 pounds since I started to eating more salad and veggies and have more energy too! And I really like my lunch, I don't feel like I'm missing out. I'm not really one for salad dressing so generally just add abit of Sesame Oil or Oil and Vinegar to add some contrasting flavor. I have 2 different containers that I switch out and a pretty pink mini cooler tote that keeps my salad fresh and cold. Everything can stay cold in the tote for a few hours or I can refrigerate it if there's room. Be Well!!
1 person likes this
@lecanis (16647)
• Murfreesboro, Tennessee
7 Feb 10
I used to hate making my lunch, but yeah, now it's fun and I like making healthy and tasty things! lol Sounds like you have some really good ideas too! :D Congrats on losing weight, that's awesome!
• Netherlands
8 Feb 10
I always take some bread with me. Sometimes i add some fruits to it. also i take some drinks. It's different every day, but i always take some bread with me. So that's it.
• United States
8 Feb 10
olthorpe - I just started buying the mini whole wheat pita pockets and I fill them with salad and eat it like a sandwich. First time today and it was yummy! And I got teased alot less about my salad since they thought I had a sandwich too...LOL. Welcome to Mylotting !! Be Well!
@verabear (796)
• Philippines
7 Feb 10
Sometimes I would take a salad with me, just the vegetables, chicken or tuna chunks in the container and then the dressing on a separate one. Sometimes I'll make sandwich with salmon/tuna spread inside, plus lettuce and cheese, on wheat bread. Yum!
1 person likes this
@lecanis (16647)
• Murfreesboro, Tennessee
7 Feb 10
Salad and sandwiches always a good idea! Both of those sound like especially refreshing warm-weather lunches! :) Thanks for sharing!
@verabear (796)
• Philippines
8 Feb 10
yes, these are really refreshing, we always have warm weather :) All year round, it's sunny and warm. Half the year is wet though - rainy season, but even then you still have sun and can have weekends at the beach :)
@Hatley (163781)
• Garden Grove, California
7 Feb 10
hi lecanis where I worked last we all had space in the staff refrigerator for our various lunches,we put our names on our various sacks. I could not afford to eat out all the time so got creative in my lunch making too,often took a plastic container of veggies and fruit,sometimes a sanwich or frozen dinner, or left overs from casseroles too. but it was healthy and satisfying too. most of us did this, one or two went out to eat but they were higher paid than us. brown bagging it and we loved it.
1 person likes this
@lecanis (16647)
• Murfreesboro, Tennessee
7 Feb 10
Thanks for sharing your lunch! :P OOh, I should pack fruit more often! I always have veggies, but not always fruit, and that would be a nice treat! A frozen dinner sounds like a nice idea for when you're running late and don't really have time to fix anything, too!
@BinaryKat (735)
• United States
7 Feb 10
On my last temping assignments, my lunches are usually meals I have made the night before. I do that purposely so I can just drop it in my lunch bag and reheat it. Majority of the time I take a half hour for lunch so it is very convenient. I have taken burrito pie, tacos, sandwiches, etc. I love jazzing up my lunch and saving money at the same time. Since I am also trying to lose weight, I can keep to strictly what I bought for lunch too.
1 person likes this
@lecanis (16647)
• Murfreesboro, Tennessee
7 Feb 10
Taking your lunch is very good losing weight, I've found. I eat a lot less but enjoy it more when I take my lunch than when I go for fast food or whatever! Thank for sharing with us!
@epicure35 (2814)
• United States
10 Feb 10
I've found it to be most sensible and economical to bring my own lunch to work as well. It's also a time-saver and allows one to relax more rather than rush out and hope to get back to work in time. I mostly prefer sandwiches because they're easy, along with condiments and side salads. I've also brought last night's dinner leftovers to reheat, but now I'm not wanting to use microwaves. Salads are good if you pack the dressings separately. I like soups in cold weather and in combination with either a sandwich or salad. Pasta and rice salads are good, with veggies and/or meats, even fruits, because they can be eaten at room temperature. I like to follow a meal plan that my children's school used: sandwich and/ or salad of choice, savory snack or condiments, sweet snack or condiments, including fruit desserts, and beverage. The school provided hot soup every day. I like your ideas and believe grown-ups need cute treats and special favorites because they are comforting and help to get through the workday. I think it's great to pay attention to packaging details, too. I thought of getting a cute lunchbox or bag, but never got around to it.
• China
8 Feb 10
I think vegetables is good ,I like mushroom and broccoil teste better.teriyaki is my favourite.toofu is delicious too.
• Australia
9 Feb 10
Tofu rules!!!
• India
8 Feb 10
Just like you, I cant to lunch out daily and neither is it healthy, so I carry my lunch with my everyday. Usually I have a fixed menu of left over Sunday special dinner for Monday lunch, bread and curry on Tuesday, noodles on Wednesday, sandwich on Thursday and either macaroni or French toast on Fridays. I usually try and stick to this routine as I don’t have much time in the morning to make up something fancy.
• United States
8 Feb 10
Whenever I take my lunch I usually take a bottle of water and a drink mix packet that has no calories. I take a sandwich and some chips. I know it's not the healtiest sounding option but the sandwich is made with olive oil mayo so it has very few calories and the chips are usually one of those 100 calorie pack options. I have the chance to eat at work but I don't like the food that is served! I'd rather take my own lunch most of the time.
@raydene (9871)
• United States
8 Feb 10
I have had jobs where I took my lunch.. Most often it was a piece of fruit something to throw into the mic from our leftovers... Or a sandwich... Raman noodles used to be a fav as well. xoxoxoxoxo
@thebeave (31)
• United States
8 Feb 10
When we make dinner we usually make about twice as much as we need and I freeze the extra leftovers in individual containers that I can pull out one at a time and thaw in the fridge. That way when I get home from work, I pull out a container for the next day and throw it in the fridge. Then on my way to work all I have to do is grab it and usually some kind of fruit and one more side to tide me over. This works amazingly and I don't have to spend money any more. It also causes me to eat much more healthier than I was before. It really is a win win situation.
• China
9 Feb 10
hello,lecanis.i agree you with this said.sometimes we also creative and make something nice and especially.if that is me,i will only add cucumber sandwiches.because i think i only love doing that
@phoenix8606 (4942)
8 Feb 10
hi! If I have a lunch box and I must put something in it, I think it will be something favorite and delicious, and also which I can make fast like sandwiches or some salad or fried eggs with some bacon! I can also take something cooked, but i love to eat it warm, I never eat cooked meals cold :)
• India
8 Feb 10
hi lecanis.. i too take my lunch mostly since i can't offord it everyday... i usually take chapathi,salad and some vgetables.. keeps me warmth and great..
• Bulgaria
8 Feb 10
I usually take leftovers from the last evening. Also my favorites are boiled eggs, cheese, tomatoes, yoghourt, potato salad.
@cblackink (969)
• United States
8 Feb 10
I don't really have a usual list of items. Just whatever's available at the time. Tomorrow, I'm taking a nice salad, but some days maybe lentils and brown rice or steamed vegetables. Occasionally, a sandwich. If I make homemade soup, some of that.
@coffeeshot (3783)
• Australia
8 Feb 10
i am vegan so my luchbox (or bag) contains a big salad sandwich (sometimes with vego sliced 'meat', or leftover pasta dishes and stir-frys, also eggless banana muffins, some mixed nuts and some fruit juice.
@youless (112091)
• Guangzhou, China
8 Feb 10
My mom will cook more for dinner. So when the dinner is ready, I will put the rice, vegetables and meats to my lunch box at first. This will be my lunch next day. I just need to use the microwave oven to heat it and then I can start my lunch. I love China
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
8 Feb 10
I like to take hard-boiled eggs, too. Once I was eating my lunch outside on a nice day and a big bird swooped down and stole my egg! I watched helplessly as the bird flew off with my lunch in his talons. The other thing I take is cheese and nuts and to drink I juice apples and celery the night before and freeze th juice until morning. Then I drink it a little at a time as it thaws over the course of the day. I like cucumbers too, and like you I refuse to grow up.
@atv818 (1980)
• United Arab Emirates
8 Feb 10
Same here, I bring whatever food we have on the table. I cannot afford to spend expensive food at work.